Check protecting device



Sept. 29, 1'931. w. MCCANN CHECK PROTECTING DEVICE Filed July 23, 1929.NARN

mm1 ATToRNEY I 45 the direction of the arrows.

Patented Sept. 29',v 1931 PATENT oFFlcE WILLIAM MGCANN, OF NEW YORK, N.Y.

CHECK PBOTECTING DEVICE ,Application med July 2s, 1929. serial` No.380,889.

The present invention relates Vto animprovementV in check books, andparticularly to protecting devices therefor which may constituteanintegralpa'rt of the check book or which may beused in conjunctionwith checkvbooks but separable therefrom.

One of the objects of my improvement is the provision .of means forperforating checks, negotiable and .non-negotiable instruments,commercial papers and the like, after the same have been written out, inorder to prevent the fraudulent alteration thereof or, in the event thatany alterationismade thereon, the same will be apparentvand readilydetected.

Another object of my improvement is to provide a device of thischaracter which can be used readily and with facility, to perform itsdesired operation, after vthe written instrument has been made out.

Another object of my improvement is to provide a device of this typewhichV is simple, cheap to manufacture, compact in form and which willhardly affect the bulk of the check book to which it is attached or withwhich it is detachably used. f

These and other capabilities lwill be apprehended as the hereindescription proceeds, and it is obvious that modifications may be madein the improvement herein disclosed without departingV from the spiritthereof or the scope of the appended claims. Y `In theaccompanyingdrawings l Fig. 1 shows a pocket check book with my deviceapplied thereto.`

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the check book in open position. v Fig. 3is a sectional view, taken on the `line 3 3 of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection Y of the arrows. v

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the check book, closed, and about to beused as a check perforator, this section being taken approximately onthe line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in Fig.V 5 risanfenlarged fragmentaryview of the check perforator and stencil therefor, shownJ in enlargedrelative operativeA positions. v 1 I The check book to which myunprovedv device is applied is the ordinary and well known pocket sizecheck book, which is best shown in Fig. 2 wherein the check bookcomprises an upper cover 1 and a lower cover 2, they being covered withthe usual buckram covering and bound together, as at 3, by stapling orgluing andbinding therebetween a plurality of' printed checks 4.

A hard and stift stencil 5 is affixed to the top cover 1 and it ishinged to the outer end B0 of the cover 1 as at G by a buckramconnection, said stencil being provided with a series of registeringstencil slots 7, 8, and 9, these being cut therein.

To thebottom cover 2, asin Fig. 1 and 65 along the upper long edge 10thereof, there is also aliiXed another cardboard member 11, the hingeportion 12 of which is formed of buckram covering andis sealed aroundthe outer edges as at 13, 14 and 15 to form an v70 easily foldableelement which may be folded over and upon the unused checks 4 during thecheck protecting procedure.

The cardboard member 11 is the check perforating member and it is madeup, as indicated in Fig. 5, of a pair of glued together boards 16and16,.which have affixed therebetween anchoring parts of a plurality ofVmetallic perforating elements, the acting parts of which are shown asprojecting above the upper surface of the board 16, these perforatingparts 17, 18 and 19 being preferably each in the form of a. series ofsharp pointed, upstanding teeth and being best shown in Fig. 3. Theseperforating lines of teeth 17, 18, and 19 are formed of suitable thinsheet metal, and the perforating members 17 and 18 are shown in Figs. 4and 5 with the teeth thereof as formed on the two upstanding webs of achannel-shaped member, having thereon a base portion 20.

The other perforating member 19 is formed on an angle shaped member, andthe teeth thereof are developed upon the edge of a web, which is spacedaway from the angle base portion 21. The baseportions 20 and 21 of theperforating members are cemented betweenthe two boards 16 and 16', andtheir transverse webs are forced up through one of said boards 16 withthe teeth projecting JN! therefrom, as shown at 17 in Fig. 3, saidprojecting teeth extending a sufhcient distance from said board 16 tofully and cleanly perforate a written check or other written instrument,when desired.

In Fig. 1 the relative positions of the rows of teeth are shown by thereferences 17, 18 and 19, but the perforating members are extendingdownwardly, that is, with the teeth inverted with relation to theposition of the viewer. The positions of the teeth 17, 1'8 and 19 are solocated upon the member 11 that, when the member 11 is folded over allbut the topmost of the checks, the latter being placed over said member11 as in the position shown in Fig. 4i, and when the cover 1 with itsstencil 5 is closed thereover, the said teeth will register with theslots 7, 8 and 9', to permit the teeth 17, 18 and 19 to pass up throughthe said topmost check into the slots 9, 8 and 7, respectively. Theregistering positions of the teeth and stencil slots are fully shown inFig. 4, and the topmost check 23, which is to be protectedy orperforated, is shown in position ust prior to perforating the same.

In Fig. 1, the upper exposed check 23 is shown as made out in thecustomary manner and perforated at 24, 25 and 26, thus protecting theamount of the same, as written in the upper right hand corner, and alsothe name of the payee and the amount of the check written out inletters. The triangular projections 17, 18 and 19, cut through the checkand leave it with a plurality of elongated perforations in the positionsshown in Fig. 1 and make it extremely difficult to alter the ch-eck. Itis almost impossible for alpen to be passed smoothly thereover, to alterthe instrument after it has been perforated, as the perforations willcatch the pen point and cause the ink to flow through vthe perforationsand blot the paper through to the rear thereof, thus easily showing thatthe check has been changed.

In utilizing my present device, the procedure is comparatively simple.The book, which is initially closed, is opened by first throwing backthe cover 1 with its hinged stencil 5 attached thereto. This exposes theperforating member 11, which is then opened to the position shown inFig. 1. Then the check 23, or other instrument, is written out andlifted upwardly, to clear the movement of the perforating member 11,which is then closed downwardly upon the unwritten checks, leaving itsperforating edges 17, 18 and 19 projecting upwardly.

The check 23 is then thrown over and upon the perforating face of theperforating meinber 11, and the cover 1, with its slotted stencil 5, isfolded over and closed upon the written check 23 and firmly presseddownwardly thereover, thus forcing the lines of teeth 19, 18 4and 17 upthrough the check and into the clearances provided by the slots 7, 8 and9 respectively and thus perforating the check as indicated by theperforated lines 24, 25 and 26 in Fig. 1. Then the check 23 is torn fromthe check book along a series of perforations, as indicated by line 27,and the check book is again `closed by first laying back the perforato-r111 and then closing the covers 1 and stencil 5.

In actual practice it may be suitable to eliminate entirely the hingedstencil 5 and provide the cover 1 with the stencil slots 7, 8 and' 9, ifso desired. But it has been found that in use the combinations of thecovers 1 and stencil 5 are desirable when the check book has been partlyused up in order to overcome the differences inthe check posi= tionsafter a number of checks have been re-` moved from thebook, leaving thevstub in the check book of athickness greater' than the y layer ofremaining checks which are to be perforated.

It is also possible,I instead of hinging the stencil 5, as at 6 in Fig.2, to hinge it at the opposite end as at au", in- F ig.- 1, and thestencil will function' as desired.

It will therefore be noted that I have provided a simple, self containedcheck perforator with no loose parts to become lost,- which is alsocompact, easy to operate and economical to manufacture.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and seek to protect byLetters Patent is: Y

1. A check protecting device for a book for bills of exchange, notes,checks and other commercial paper, comprising a. top cover, a bottomcover, means for holding commercial paper blanks therebetween, aperforati ng plate,- having thereon one or more suitably locatedperforating members, attached to the bottom cover, and a stencil plateattached to the top cover and provided with openings therein, whichregister with said perforating members, whereby desired portions of thecommercial paper may be perforated when said perforating plate andstencil plate are pressed together with the written commercial paperinterposed therebetween. Y

2. A check protecting device for a book for bills of exchange, notes,checks and other commercial paper, comprising a top cover, a bottomcover, means for holding commercial paper blanks therebetween, aperforating plate, having suitably located perforating teeth, projectingtherefrom, attached to the bottom cover, and a. stencil plate, attachedto the top cover and provided with openings therein, which 'registerwith said perforating teeth, whereby desired portions of the cornmercialpaper may be perforated when said perforating plate and stencil plateare pressed together with the written commercial paper interposedtherebetwen.

3. The elements of claim 1, said perforating plate being flexiblyconnected to said bottom cover and, when turned on said connection intothe plane of saidbottom cover, said perforating plate being disposedwith its per forating members in an inverted position.

4. The elements of claim 1, said members having thereon base portions,secured to said plate, and webs Iextending transversely thereto, saidwebs having thereon on the edges l thereof perforating elements, to beenclosed by said openings when the parts of said device are ininoperative assembled relation to each other.

5. The elements of claim 1, the attachment of said stencil to said topcover being adjustable, to overcome the differences in the thickness ofthe layer of checks, remaining after a number of checks have beenremoved from said book, and the thickness of the layer of stubs of saidchecks therein.

6. A check protecting device, including in combination with a check bookor the like to which it is connected, a perforating card member,consisting of opposed Vfibrous layers adhesively connected andperforating members comprising flat base strips having marginaloutstanding teeth perpendicular to the said base strips, said stripsbeing interposed between said fibrous layers and said teeth eX- tendingthrough one of said layers and proiecting outward beyond the outer facethereof for the purpose set forth.

7 A check protecting device, including in combination with a check bookto which it is connected, a perforating element comprising connectedfibrous layers, and a plurality of thin metallic .strips havingperpendicular marginal teeth extending from the edges of said strips,said strips being sealed between said layers with said teeth ext-endingthrough one of said layers and projected beyond the face thereof for thepurpose set forth.

Si ed at New York in the county of Kings and tate of New York this 20day of July,

WILLIAM MOCANN.

